B’nai B’rith International welcomes the announcement by the European Commission that it will name a coordinator for combating anti-Semitism. The new official will report to Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, who will serve as special envoy for countering anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

B’nai B’rith and other civil society groups had urged the European Union to appoint an official to oversee the effort to fight anti-Semitism.

The continued growth of anti-Semitism across Europe requires an EU-wide approach to dealing with the problem. The appointment of a special envoy and coordinator on anti-Semitism is an important step in this direction.

We pledge to work closely with EU officials to ensure that the work of the Commission and the European Parliament yields positive results in tackling anti-Semitism.

B’nai B’rith International is disappointed the European Parliament has passed a resolution that will allow European governments to label products made in the West Bank, a policy that will cause great economic and political harm to the Jewish state.The resolution, which passed by a vote of 525-70, is an affirmation of the discriminatory goals of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.Such a misguided policy is destructive to the peace process and gives momentum to opponents of Israel who seek to delegitimize the Jewish state by weakening its economy and isolating it politically.We call on European governments to reject this biased and counterproductive resolution.

B’nai B’rith International condemns the latest anti-Israel terror attack, this time at the Israeli embassy in the Athens suburb of Psychiko where men on motorcycles opened fire with Kalashnikov automatic rifles on the front of the building early this morning. Fortunately, no one was injured. B’nai B’rith commends Greek authorities for reacting swiftly, deploying police to the crime scene and vowing to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist attack to justice. As we’ve seen in recent months and weeks, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise and they must be stopped. B’nai B’rith has repeatedly brought to light the troubling silence of the international community over these acts of terror, as well as the need for European governmental and law enforcement officials to engage in proactive efforts to counter these attacks.